To observe, to be enchanted, and to enjoy the simple stuff in life, is truly a delight.

OBSERVING THE GARDEN BIRDS

Last year during spring we had two brightly coloured Robins eating from the bird table, one of them was very territorial, I now know that this was the male. Eventually we had one of their young in the garden during the summer, a very tame little bird, no red at it’s breast yet. By now though it has become a fully fledged adult and it’s colour is really strong, we have not made out if it is a male or female, it does not display territorial behaviour so far. In Ireland the Robin population is stable, they are a great bird to have in the garden.

We have quite a few Sparrows too feeding from the bird table.

And a well fed Finch. We are finding that most of the birds that frequent our garden are quite fat looking this year, is it because we had such a warm and long summer? I wonder, and hope that it will stand by them during the coming winter.

One thing we have noticed since the bird population has come back to feed (we don’t feed them in the summer), is that where last winter we had at least a dozen Rooks visiting, we only have three now. I am wondering if some of them got poisoned? But then the Jackdaws, who feed with the Rooks usually, are there in great numbers. The Rooks go and build nests in old chimney pots, so I was thinking that maybe someone put poison there?? It is quite unusual for the area here to see so few Rooks. I will keep my eye on it. Already the Swift population has decreased very much in the last few years here, as well as that, last summer they arrived a month late (I take not every year) and they had already left end of July whereas normally they leave middle of August.